Sedum plant named ‘Black Jack’

ABSTRACT

Sedum  ‘Black Jack’ is a new and distinct plant cultivar of Stonecrop having large dark-mahogany leaves with stiff upright stems and long-lasting wine-colored flowers valuable for landscaping, potted plant, or cut flower.

CROSS-REFERNCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Sedum telephium plant named ‘Lajos’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,421.

Sedum purpureum ‘Pink Chablis’ U.S. application Ser. No. 09/514,930.

Botanical classification: Family—Crassulaceae; Sedum (Boreau)×hybrida.

Variety denomination: ‘Black Jack’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct plant cultivar ofStonecrop, botanically known as Sedum (Boreau) hybrid, and hereinafterreferred to as the cultivar ‘Black Jack’ or the “Plant”. The new Plantwas discovered by Jerry Van Der Kolk in a planting of Sedum ‘Matrona’(not patented) in the production fields of a commercial nursery nearHamilton, in Allegan County, Mich., USA, as a non-induced sport. Sedum‘Black Jack’ has been propagated in controlled systems by stem cuttingsat a nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA, and subsequent plants are identicalto the original selection.

Sedum ‘Matrona’ was a selection made by Ewald Hügin of Freiburg imBreisgau, Germany from a cross between Sedum telephium ssp.atropurpureum and Sedum spectabile (Kress). Neither parent plant ispatented.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Sedum ‘Black Jack’ is unique from all other sedums known to thediscoverer. Other dark leaf forms of Sedum exist, but no other knownplant has the same tall, stiff upright form with large, deep-burgundyleaves and stems, and dark carmine flowers. In comparisons to‘Atropurpureum’, ‘Arthur Branch’, ‘Bertram Anderson’, ‘Dragon's Blood’,‘Hestor’, ‘Lynda Windsor’, ‘Mohrchen’, ‘Purple Emperor’, and‘Tetractinum’ (all not patented) the new Sedum ‘Black Jack’, is taller,has larger foliage with more mahogany and less red in the leaves. ThePlant has not been observed in all possible environments. The phenotypemay vary slightly with variations in growing conditions such as lightintensity, day length, temperature, water availability, and nutrientavailability, without, however any variance in genotype. The followingare traits of Sedum ‘Black Jack’ that distinguish it from all othersedum:

-   -   1. Stiff, tall, mahogany-colored stems.    -   2. Large, fleshy, thick, chocolate-purple foliage.    -   3. Carmine buds with wine-colored tinting after flowers open.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique characteristicsand overall appearance of the new cultivar, ‘Black Jack’. The colors areas accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variationsin light source, quality and direction may cause the appearance ofdifferent colors.

FIG. 1—Shows the plant habit while in bud.

FIG. 2—Shows the plant in flower.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following description uses color references according to the 2001edition of “The Royal Horticultural Colour Chart”, except where generaldictionary terms are used. The plant described is grown in awell-drained, loamy sand soil, full-sun trail gardens of a nursery inZeeland, Mich., United States of America, with supplementalfertilization and irrigation. Plants used in this observation have beenin the ground two years from cuttings.

-   Parentage: Sedum ‘Matrona’ (not patented) sport.-   Propagation: Asexual by stem or tip cuttings.-   Rooting time: Approximately two to three weeks.-   Root description: Tuberous, coarse, to 12 mm in diameter.-   Plant habit and form: Deciduous erect stems 1.5 to 2.0 cm in    diameter, producing plants at flowering between 50 cm and 60 cm    tall, 60 cm to 85 cm wide, with opposite leaves.-   Growth rate: Medium to fast, developing multiple stems in a field    grown plant in 12 weeks from cuttings.-   Leaves: 20 to 28 per stem; without petioles; dentate; broadly oblong    to obovate; flat, or sometimes with leaf edges curled downward;    lower larger leaves are 18 cm long by 12 cm wide, upper most leaves    are about 5.5 cm long 2.5 cm wide, fleshy to 4 mm thick; decreasing    in size higher on the stem with last leaves before the peduncle    smallest; adaxial side between RHS N77 A and RHS N187 A, abaxial    side between RHS 189 A and RHS 191 A with a mottling of RHS 187 B;    leaves not exposed to light, or newly emerging leaves RHS N138 C;    surface is glabrous with a glaucous covering on upper and lower    epidermis.-   Venation: Coarsely pinnate with thick midrib; adaxial side same    colors as leaves; abaxial side more concentrated purple, RHS 187 B,    especially on the midrib.-   Flower buds: Clear wine-color RHS 60 A, more concentrated than    ‘Matrona’ (Kress) or ‘Samuel Oliphant’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,582)    effective beginning in mid-July; shape is ovoid; size is up to 2 mm    in diameter and 3 mm long one day prior to anthesis.-   Stems: 60 to 75 cm long, up to 1.8 cm thick; glabrous with glaucous    surface, RHS 59 A.-   Inflorescence: Compound corymb, 20 to 25 cm across, heavily    branched.-   Peduncle: Up to 18 cm long and 7 mm in diameter at the base; about    RHS 59 B on the side more exposed to sunlight, and RHS 59 D on the    less exposed side.-   Pedicel: 5 to 8 mm long, about 1 mm in diameter; RHS 59 B and RHS 59    D with more and less light exposure respectively.-   Flowers: Opening in August and remaining effective for at least five    weeks through September, approximately 1200 to 1500 per stem; 10 mm    across and 5 mm long.-   Fragrance: Very slight sweet fragrance is occasionally noted.-   Sepals: Five, less than 1 mm wide, up to 2 mm long, acute apex, RHS    N187 A.-   Petals: Five, 5 mm long, 3 mm wide, lighter than RHS N66 D.-   Pistil: Usually five, 4 mm long, fusiform 2 mm in center, proximal    RHS 61 A, distal RHS 63 C to RHS 63 D.-   Androecium: Ten filaments 2 to 3 mm long, RHS 63 C; Anthers less    than 1 mm, nearest RHS 59 A.-   Pollen: RHS 16B.-   Fruit: None yet observed.

The Plant performs best with little supplemental fertilization and lowwatering. It can withstand large amounts of water with good drainage andis resistant to drought and heat, as well as cold tolerant to at leastUSDA Zone 3.

1. I claim the new and distinct variety of Stonecrop plant, Sedum hybrid‘Black Jack’, essentially as herein described and illustrated, havinglarge dark-mahogany leaves with stiff upright stems and long-lastingwine-colored flowers valuable for landscaping, potted plant, or cutflower.